Electric animal-exterminator.



0. N. CALVERT.

ELECTRIC ANIMAL EXTERMINATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY-5, 1911.

1,024,060. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. N.,GALVERT.,

ELECTRIC ANIMAL EXTERMINATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

2 8HEETSSHEET 2.

' which will meetwith the approval of insur OMA NEWTON CALVERT, OFKAHOKA, MISSOURI.

ELECTRIC ANIMAL-TERMINATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed May 5, 1911. SeriaLNo. 625,200.

To *all whom it may concern V Be it known that I, OMA NEWTON CAL- VERT,a citizen of the United States, residing at Kahoka, in county ofClarkand State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Electric Animal- Exterminators, of which the following is aspecification. I

My invention relates to an improvement in electric animal exterminators,and the object is to provide a simple and novel construction for killingrats, mice, and the like. A further object is to provide a device whichmay be safely handled and will not endanger the lives of the occupantsof houses, stables, or other places where it is used, especially thelives of children, or the lives of domesticspets suchas dogs, cats,rabbits, or the like; and a still further object is to provideanelectrical exterminator ance underwriters.

. The invention consists in certain novel features of construction andcombinations of-parts which will be hereinafter fully describedandpointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the base ofthe trap, Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view, Fig. 3 is a sectional view onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the cover applied to the base, and Fig.4 is an enlarged section through a portion of-the base and one of theposts 9 erected thereon. I

A, represents the base of the trap, and B, is the cover. The base orbottom is provided with a rectangular opening through the center inwhich 'are received bars 1, 1,

the-bars crossing each other at the center and connected to the walls ofthe opening. Acentral contact plate 2 is mounted at the intersection ofthe two cross-bars, and is provided with" radial arms 3, which. aremounted upon the cross-bars.- plates 4, 5, -6, and 7 are mounted on thebars preferably on a plane higher than the centralcontact plate 2 andare insulated from the radial arms ofthe central contact member or plate2 by a suitable insulation 8. Posts 9, 9, are provided at the fourcorners of the base upon which cover B is mounted. A binding post lO isconnected to the base to which a positive wire 11 is connected.

- Leading from the binding posts lO is a wire 12 which is connected tothe binding post 13 of the central contact member ,or plate Contact 2. Abinding post 14 is connected to the bottom or base, and extendstherethrough and beneath one of the posts 9. A negative wire 15 isconnected thereto. Two of the posts 9are provided with openings 16therethrough. Beneath one of the posts 9 is the binding post 14, andbeneath the other is a binding post 17. Binding posts 18 are connectedto the cover, and are provided with extensions which are adapted tobereceived in the openings 16 of the post 9. The two binding posts 18are connected by wire 19, so that when the two binding posts 18 makecontact with the binding posts 14 and 17, a current will be transmittedfrom the binding post 14 through the wire 19 to the binding post 17. Awire 20, connected to the binding post 17 connects the binding posts ofthe contact plates 6 and 7, while another branch wire 21 connected tothe binding post 17 connects the binding posts of contact plates 4 and5. The negative and positive wires 15 and 11 are connected up with anysuitable source of supply, and an animal passing over the base A, andengaging any of the contacts 4, 5, 6, and 7, and the central stantly. Itwill then fall between the crossbars into any receptacle which may beplaced beneath the base A.

A pin 22 is connected to one of the crossbars 1 at the intersection ofthe bars upon which the bait or decoy can be placed for.

attracting the animal upon the contact plates.

The cover is a safety device. It is not charged with electricity, Thewire 19 merely closes the circuit so that the cover prevents a person,ona large animal such as a dog or cat, from touching the contacts, oranything dropping upon them which might cause an arc to form and a fireto result in consequence, but also it makes it necessary to remove thecover'to bait the trap, thus breaking the current and making 1t perfectly safe. And the object in placing the contactsit, 5, 6, and 7 on ahigher plane is that by so doing it provides against the liability of,the rodent just touching the central contact plate and getting a slightshock which is likely if they are all on the same plane, whereas Whenthey are not if-he touches the central contact plate at all, he islikely to do so with suificient force when they are on different planesto get the entire current, which is more than suficient to kill him.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. An animal exterminator comprising a base having an opening thereinand intersecting bars thereacross, a central contact plate secured onsaid bars at their point of intersection, and a plurality of contactplates insulated from the central contact plate and on a higher plane orlevel, said plates forming the terminals of an electric circuit.

2. An animal exterminator comprising a base having an opening, a centralcontact plate at the center thereof and a plurality of contact platesadjacent to and insulated from the central contact plate, said centraland adjacent contact plates forming the terminals of an electriccircuit.

3. An animal exterminator comprising a base having an opening therein,barsextending across the opening, a central contact plate mountedvthereon, a contact plate mounted on each of the bars adjacent to and.insulated from the central contactmember,

cent to and insulated from the central contact plate, positive andnegative electric Wires, the central contact forming a terminal for oneof the wires and the adjacent plates serving as terminals for the otherwires.

5. An animal exterminator comprising a base having a central contactplate and a pluralityof contact plates adjacent to and post 0 thebinding 0st of the central contact plate,

a negative e ectric wire, a binding post on the base to which thenegative wire is connected, a removable cover having binding poststhereon electrically connected, said bindin posts adapted to engage thebinding %the negative wire and the binding post of the adjacent contactplates, whereby the current of the negative Wire will be 0011- ducted tothe adjacent contact plates.

6. An animal exterminator .comprising a base having a main contact plateand a plurality of contact plates. adjacent to and insulated from themain contact plate, said main and adjacent contact plates forming theterminals of an electric circuit, and a decoy connected to-the base,said adjacent contact plates located at an elevation above the maincontact plate;

7. An animal exterminator comprising a base having electriccontact-plates, and a cover carrying a section of connecting wire,

said cover When in place completing the elec- A trical connection withsaid contact plates,

and forming a guard against accidents, the removal of which cover,renders the entire device harmless by breakin the electrical cbnnectionWih the contact p' lates'.

' In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

OMA NEWTON CALVERT.

Witnesses:

' Trnao. OHEWNING,

J. W. WOODRUFF.

